‘Door-Buster’ and Black Friday

The term ‘door-buster’ appears to stretch back to an 1890s department store

Ben Zimmer

Nothing sums up the frantic holiday shopping rush better than the “door-buster”: a limited-time sale offering deep discounts on big-ticket items. Bargain-hunters flock to stores every Black Friday in search of these “door-buster” sales, even if they don’t literally bust down retailers’ doors.

It turns out that door-busters have been an advertising gimmick of retail stores long before Black Friday was enshrined as the day that kicks off the shopping season.